PML-N MPA reminds govt of South Punjab promise

Says opposition will extend support to PTI in this regard

LAHORE: A woman lawmaker of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reminded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government to fulfill the promise of carving out South Punjab province by honouring the wishes of the population.

The demand was made by PML-N’s MPA Hina Pervez Butt through her resolution she submitted in the Punjab Assembly Secretariat. She said it was astonishing that PTI had been shouting the slogan of a separate province, made a promise to establish a new province before the general elections and also claimed to show concrete development over the issue in the first 100 days but did nothing.



She further contended in her resolution that several resolutions had been passed in both national and Punjab assemblies seconding the stance to establish South Punjab province. She said the opposition parties were willing to stand with this demand and ready to extend their support to the government in this regard.

“It is a test for the PTI government to establish South Punjab province and required sincere efforts to fulfill the demand of people,” she said. “The government should refrain from point scoring and come up with the result-oriented efforts.”

She said Janoobi Punjab Mahaz Tehreek joined PTI only on the condition to establish a separate province. “PTI won the mandate in the area on this South Punjab province slogan. This house demands of the government to fulfill its promises it had made before general elections. It will pave the way to the progress if the government shows responsibility in establishing South Punjab province.”

“The credit of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas’ (Fata) merger goes to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who resolved the 70 years old issue with its wisdom and political experience,” she said while eulogising her party’s leader. She further demanded of the government to pass the bill of South Punjab province and Bahawalpur province also be restored.

Talking to The Express Tribune, MPA Hina Pervez Butt said it was injustice with the people of the area if South Punjab province was not established by the PTI government. “It is easier said than done. PTI government should do something concreted on the ground in this regard.”

She said the nation has come out of the dreams of ‘naya Pakistan’. She said the PTI government has failed in keeping almost all the promises it made with the nation either they were related to the job opportunities, distribution of houses and transforming the country into a state like Madina. She said establishing South Punjab province was also the PTI’s trick to lure the voters.



A PTI MPA Mohsin Leghari had submitted a resolution during the Punjab Assembly’s maiden oath-taking session in August. Leghari, who belonged to southern Punjab and returned to the Punjab Assembly from PP-293 (Rajanpur), had reminded the PTI of its commitment to creating the new province even before the formation of the party’s government in Punjab.

Though there have been several moves in the past to create the new province, the PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif-led government had kept the issue in limbo. The Sharif government had once initiated a process of creating a southern Punjab civil secretariat in Multan to facilitate people but the plan could never see the light of day.

In a bid to woo political stalwarts from southern Punjab, the PTI had endorsed the demand for the creation of southern Punjab province “on administrative grounds”.